The construction of a house involves several stages. One of the preliminary stages of construction is the "rough stage," during which rough carpentry occurs and the frame of the house is constructed and the duct work for the forced air system or other ventilation system is laid.
Typically, once the rough stage is completed or as part of the rough stage, the "prep stage" occurs, during which the various trades, such as plumbers, heating contractors and electricians, conduct their initial preparation work. As each of the various trades works during the prep stage, debris, such as, for example, wood particles, metal particles, wiring and conduit particles, dust, etc., tends to build up inside the house. The debris tends to settle on the sub-flooring but also tends to fall into the duct openings associated with the sub-flooring. While the debris that settles on the sub-flooring can be cleaned relatively easily, the debris that falls into such floor duct openings can not be readily removed. Such debris and other matter can also have significant detrimental effects on the ventilation system and result in a poor breathing environment for the occupants. It also is not uncommon for animals such as cats, rodents or skunks to enter into the floor duct openings during the construction of a house.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device and method for preventing the build up of debris or other matter within a duct during, for example, the construction of a house or other building.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a device and method wherein at least a portion of the device can be quickly and easily removed from the duct and discarded once a predetermined amount of the debris is collected within that portion.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a device that is able to be secured to the duct quickly and easily and to remain substantially within the duct even when air is being passed through the duct by the ventilation system.